Friday, July 1, 2011

Series Preview: Phillies at Blue Jays, 7/1-7/3

Before Roy Halladay makes his return to the Rogers Centre mound, the Phillies (51-31) will send right-hander Kyle Kendrick out to take on the Toronto Blue Jays (40-42) on Canada Day. The Phillies' strength all season long has been their pitching, but the club with the best record in baseball is relying on substitute hurler Kendrick to fill the gap left by injured starter Roy Oswalt.

Toronto will counter with their most consistent starting pitcher, Ricky Romero, who is fresh off a complete game shutout of the Cardinals, in the opener of the 3-game series.

Other key Phillies injuries that could play a role in this inter-league series are to the back end of their bullpen, as the team has been forced to try a fourth closer this season, with Antonio Bastardo filling the vacancy left by Brad Lidge, Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson, who are all on the shelf with injuries.

Read ahead for in-depth info on the pitching match ups and other details on this series.

Friday, 1:05PM. Kyle Kendrick (4-4, 3.23 ERA) vs. Ricky Romero (7-7, 2.74 ERA). In 9 road games this season, Kendrick is 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA. In his last 6 games, Kendrick has posted a 1-1 record with a 3.18 ERA. Yunel Escobar is 1-for-16 (.062 avg) in his career against Kendrick. In his last 3 home starts, Romero is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA. The left-handed Romero has a 1-0 record, a 1.93 ERA and a .163 batting average against in 2 career starts against the Phillies. Chase Utley is 3-for-5 in his career against Romero.

Saturday, 1:07PM. Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.40 ERA) vs. Carlos Villanueva (5-1, 3.15 ERA). In his only previous start against his former team, Halladay threw 7 scoreless innings in Philadelphia. In his last 5 starts, Halladay has posted a 3-0 record and a 2.00 ERA. In 153 career stars at Rogers Centre, Halladay is 83-34 with a 3.23 ERA. Villanueva has a 1.26 ERA in 11 career appearances against the Phillies. In 9 home outings this year, Villanueva has a 1-0 record and a 4.13 ERA.

Sunday, 1:07PM. Cliff Lee (9-5, 2.66 ERA) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (3-7, 4.77 ERA). In 7 road starts this season, Lee has a 2-4 record with a 4.30 ERA. Lee has a 5-0 record and a 0.21 ERA over his last 5 starts. In 5 career starts at Rogers Centre, Lee is 2-3 with a 3.81 ERA. Rajai Davis is 4-for-8 (.500 avg) in his career against Lee. Reyes has a 0-3 record and a 6.99 ERA in 6 career outings against the Phillies. Reyes is 1-3, with a 5.19 ERA in 7 home starts this season. Jimmy Rollins is 1-for-16 (.063 avg) in his career against Reyes.

In 33 road games this season, Raul Ibanez is batting .167 with a .486 OPS. Also, in 22 day games this season, Ibanez has posted a .182 batting average.

Carlos Ruiz is 4-for-27 (.148 batting average) in 8 career games against the Blue Jays. Ruiz is batting .176 with runners in scoring position this season.

In his last 5 games, Yunel Escobar is 10-for-20 (.500 avg) with 3 doubles and a HR. In 49 career games against the Phillies Escobar is a .211 hitter. Escobar is batting .333 in 46 home games this season.

Rookie catcher JP Arencibia is batting .219 in 30 home games this season. In 20 June games, Arencibia posted a .159 average.

In 33 home games this year, Jose Bautista is batting .354 with 13 HR and 28 RBI.